Electric cars and trucks

SAN FRANCISCO, Nov 20 (Reuters) - U.S. electric sports car maker Tesla Motors plans to go public soon, two sources familiar with the matter said, amid growing interest in green technology and battery-powered vehicles.

An IPO filing from the six-year-old start-up, best known for its $109,000 all-electric Roadster, is expected any day, said one of the sources. The person did not give a specific time frame, although IPOs typically take several months.

http://www.reuters.com/article/americasIpoNews/idUSN2023822020091120

Republished from: Audi's e-tron concept car expected to come to market in 2012

At September's Frankfurt Auto Show, Audi showed the e-tron, a high-performance sports car with a purely electric drive system.  This is a true four wheel drive car with four motors, one for each wheel (what Audi calls a "true quattro").  They claim 0-60 mph times of 4.8 seconds and 35-75 mph time of 4.1 seconds.  Fast.  The lithium-ion battery pack is a sizable 42.4 kilowatt-hours and they claim a 154 mile range.  Top speed is 124 miles/hr.  Audi said at the Frankfurt show that the e-tron "belongs in the major leagues of sports cars."  With spec's like these this car would give serious competition to the likes of the Tesla Roadster.

As a concept car it's interesting but a car like this doesn't make a real difference unless it is in production.  Indeed, this week Audi of America's President Johan de Nysschen stated the e-tron would be on sale in the U.S. in late 2012.  No details on the production version or cost are known at this time.

Because the e-tron has four independent motors the designers were able to design the control system to freely distribute power to the wheels.  This torque vectoring allows for dazzling dynamics and an undreamed-of level of agility and precision when cornering.

Audi recognizes that "Electric drive systems are still very much outsiders" with very few of them in existence compared to the vast numbers of petroleum fueled cars.  They also point to the many advantages.  Electric cars reduce dependence on petroleum for transportation.  Electric cars produce zero direct pollution, which means electric cars only get cleaner over time as the power grid becomes cleaner.  Electric drive systems are significantly more efficient than internal combustion drive systems.  And because the full torque is immediately available in electric motors, they are able to produce phenomenal acceleration and a fun driving experience.

The concept car e-tron is more than just a car with an electric drive train.  They took a holistic approach to combine several factors to make a more efficient car.  They worked to reduce road resistance, increase aerodynamics, use lightweight but rigid materials for the body, all resulting in a lighter more efficient car.

The battery pack is larger than required for typical daily driving needs.  However a truism dogging down excitement over electric cars is the "range anxiety" induced by people accustomed to the illusory infinite range of gas cars.  The truth is gas cars also have a limited range but we have grown accustomed to the inconvenience of stopping at a gasoline station to fill the tank.  One solution to electric car range anxiety is simply to install a larger battery pack.  Of course this raises the price of the car and there is a tradeoff between cost and convenience that is yet to be determined by manufacturers and their customers.   In the meantime we should not expect the production e-tron to have an affordable price tag.

This is a promising car for the niche of people who desire high performance sports cars.  Like the Tesla Roadster it will not be sold in large enough numbers to, by itself, make a large impact in reversing negative effects of pollution from transportation.  But if this car lives up to the published specs of the concept car, it will also serve to blow up the old stereotypes of electric cars.  And by blowing up the electric car stereotype we should see greater acceptance of electric cars, or so goes the theory that Tesla started with several years ago.

For more info: 
Audi To Build e-tron Electric Sports Car From Frankfurt Show

Audi to Build e-Tron Electric Supercar

Audi will build electric sports car

Posted: http://www.examiner.com/x-14333-Green-Transportation-Examiner~y2009m10d7-Nissan-using-online-marketing-to-raise-LEAF-awareness

The times they are a changing, and the "web 2.0" age includes a different approach to marketing. Hence it should not be a surprise that Nissan is using avenues like YouTube and Twitter in marketing the LEAF vehicle. See "Some Nissan LEAF questions answered" for earlier coverage of how Nissan is using Twitter as a channel to collect and answer frequently asked questions.

More recently they have begun posting online video some of which is appearing on sites like YouTube.

Nissan LEAF - Electric Vehicle Battery: This one in the series focuses on the LEAF battery. (posted on the youtube account "nissanusanews")

Nissan unveils all-electric Leaf car

Nissan LEAF Everyday Use

New Nissan LEAF EV 2010 - Zero-Emission Car

New Nissan LEAF 2010 Global Reveal

I don't know what category to place this but if some one has EE ideas on re-inventing the wheel, it would sure help. I restored an old E-16 to just motor and contactor and it worked fine 4 speed forward and fine. I experimented with lowering "E" on field and it acted like a series wound motor. I used a Curtis 1205 for Armature and it lasted long for plowing. I raced it up the road to see what speeds it can do nearly stock with 1205. If I can remember 12 or 13 MPH. The lift motor is apparently a window motor and lifts blade via 18 volt tapped off of battery pack. I am not thrilled with tapping pack so I used a PWM for it. I converted it to 48 volt using Marine 29 series batteries and bought a 36/48 volt regulated charger. Then I made a field sense circuit because I lost field once and pegged ammeter. It used three diodes and an opto circuit. Why the E-series of tractors never really made it big is a mystery to me. I can mow a 1 acre hunk of land and plow a lond driveway. It just takes 6 hours to get back to 57 volts.
Now I will convert a big E-20. My tractor is rusting big time and will have to get new body parts soon but in the mean time I want to know what I can do to make it more functional like using quick disconnects like Anderson P products, welding cable vs THHN stiff wires, Ammeters and volt meters. I still have Emergency shut off in case of fire or tip over. My lift motor just gave out and David Cote sells GE parts and he is in process of moving to VA from Schenectady NY area. I think he bought out Bill Gunn stock.
All and all it is still simple but a lot more reliable. I use Forward reverse switch on Motor side for I did it with field and L*di/dt will weld switch in short time. Now that was a real learning experience.
So if any one can figure out what else is needed for a more functional tractor E-mail me or figure out where to post it on VisforVoltage. I don't need Radio or 12 volt stuff yet. But I do have DC-DC for lights from made - in -china store.

Hi all.

This recently showed up in my local paper and it turns out they are going to manufacture them here in my home area. Check out their web page, http://www.arcimoto.com/

I'm mainly just excited to see some local action in the EV arena.

Scott.

http://www.examiner.com/x-14333-Green-Transportation-Examiner~y2009m9d17-Renaults-electric-vehicle-concepts-on-display-at-the-Fr...

Tizzy - an ultra compact car little larger than a scooter in the same general vein as the Tango from Commuter Cars.

Zoe & Fluence are both larger cars seating four people. The Fluence is sized as a regular family sedan.

Final one is an electric version of the Kangoo which sounds like it's meant to be a delivery van.

Bad Boy Buggies sells a range of 4 wheel drive electric ATV's and they're focusing on recreational use (hunters etc). Seems they're heading towards an expansion and going for a big time seller (Bass Pro).

See: http://www.natchezdemocrat.com/news/2009/sep/13/new-ceo-ready-lead-bad-boys-expansion/

Bass Pro Shops are testing sales of Bad Boy Buggies in five markets: Denham Springs, La., Oklahoma City, Okla., Dallas, Knoxville, Tenn., and the flagship store in Springfield, Mo.

... Known throughout the hunting world for providing a top-notch, and, most important, silent way to get hunters more deeply into the woods, Bad Boy’s greatest growth potential may in fact depend on the tree hugger community.

“There’s been a lot of attention focused on eco-friendly, green vehicles,” Skrabo said, adding that federal and state tax credits for low-speed electric vehicles are making their soon-to-be released street-legal buggy a potential home run. “We’re no longer going to be perceived as only a hunting company,” he said.

I recently purchased a EV conversion. They use an electric vacume pump to augment the power brakes. When I apply the brakes it feels like it takes a second for the power assist to kick in. I'm wondering if this is a normal feature of this type of brake system. I'm guessing that when I apply the brake the vacume drops and it takes a while for the pump to kick in. As I recall air in the line usually results in having to pump the brakes and that is not the case here once the brake kicks in it's good. I was wondering if a vacume reservoir of some type might help with this.

Check out Coda Automotive. Claiming to launch a 4 door / 5 seater sedan in August 2010: http://www.codaautomotive.com

(marcopolo - check out their manufacturing model ;-) - plus at least one "big name" on the board)

This is big enough news for its own thread... extended from http://visforvoltage.org/forum/7165-new-nissan-leaf-electric-car#comment-41001

I came across this article earlier today:
Renaults all-electric show stars It says that at the Frankfurt Auto Show this coming September, that Renault will be showing ONLY electric cars. It will not be showing any liquid fuel burning cars, only electric. It goes on to describe five or so vehicles

• an electric version of new Kangoo (light commercial vehicle) for professionals and fleets;
• an electric version of a family car, launched first in Israel and then in other countries;
• in 2012, a full-electric city car measuring less than four meters long and with five seats, ideal for commuting;
• also in 2012, a new type of urban vehicle;
• beyond 2012, Renault will continue to extend its electric car range to cover all segments.

I've just written an article:
Renault (and Nissan) aiming to be leaders in electric cars

It's based on information on Renault's web sites...

Renault.com Eco^2 Way http://www.renault.com/en/CAPECO2/Pages/cap-eco2.aspx

Renault Eco^2 http://www.renault-eco2.com/

Z.E. Concept gallery http://www.renault.com/EN/RENAULT-EN-IMAGES/DESIGN-ET-INNOVATION/ZE-CONCEPT/Pages/ze-concept.aspx

All you can see on their websites right now are pictures of the concept car they demonstrated last year. No doubt this year they'll have other vehicles to show, the concrete designs given that their timeline is to begin selling electric vehicles in 2011.

What you can see in the concept car pictures is an underlying design that shares a lot with the Nissan LEAF design.